TEHRAN - Since launching in 2021, the UNESCO Afghan Teacher Training Program has made significant progress in fostering a brighter future for displaced Afghan teachers and students.

Supported by the Government of Japan and UNICEF Iran, and in collaboration with the Iranian National Commission for UNESCO and the Universities of Tehran, and Kharazmi, this initiative is equipping Afghan refugee teachers in the Islamic Republic of Iran with the necessary tools and skills to provide quality education amidst challenging circumstances.

Shaping a brighter future 

With the completion of its first phase in 2022, and upcoming phases in 2023, the program has enabled approximately 500 Afghan women refugee teachers in Iran to receive recognized training and certification. 

The goal is to support Afghan women with the skills and knowledge they need to deliver quality learning for the displaced Afghan children living in Iran and to ensure that their education continues until they can return to formal schooling. 

The teachers are also trained to provide psychosocial support to these out-of-school and crisis-affected children, helping them to overcome the challenges of displacement and adapting to a new environment.  

The underlying vision of the project is to share the latest teaching methods with these displaced or not displaced teachers, enabling them to teach effectively in their host countries. 

Recognizing that teachers are not mere conveyors of knowledge but also role models, the program strives to also provide them with the required training to inspire and empower their students. 

The quality education and support provided by these trained teachers will indirectly benefit approximately 9,000 primary school students in Iran.

Sharing skills and knowledge 

One of the program's participants, Ms. Sokhan, a former chemistry teacher and school principal in Afghanistan, expressed her gratitude during a phone call to UNESCO Tehran. 

“Thanks to the training, I regained a sense of purpose and I have the ability to cope with the challenges I face as an Afghan refugee,” she said. 

Ms. Sokhan emphasized that the most valuable aspect of the initiative was the opportunity for teachers to share their experiences and knowledge gained throughout their years of teaching. 

She also really appreciated the teacher’s active engagement with participants, sharing with them the practical lessons from their extensive experience in the field of education.

Reflecting on the impact of the program, Ms. Alami, who participated in the first phase last year, emphasized the importance of mental health education. 

“The training program allowed me to grasp the importance of addressing psychological well-being in the classroom,” she said. Armed with this new knowledge, Ms. Alami was able to establish deeper connections with her students and provide more effective support to those affected by displacement, both physically and mentally.

Vision for the future

A core aspect of the program is to empower teachers and gradually transform them into advocates for improved teaching methods. Follow-up courses are planned to focus on vital areas such as mental health, social-emotional learning, psychological support, and overall well-being.

Trained teachers will play a pivotal role in educating out-of-school children while also serving as local facilitators within the refugee community. With their close ties with the community and their advanced education, these teachers will become invaluable resources for addressing the diverse needs of their communities.

Refugees in Iran

For over four decades, Iran has been hosting one of the largest and most protracted refugee situations in the world and has provided asylum to refugees, mostly from Afghanistan.

The recent fast-paced turn of events in Afghanistan has the potential to create additional population movements; internally displacing families and potentially driving them to neighboring countries to seek refuge.

Iran is home to over 800,000 registered refugees and some 2.6 million undocumented Afghans. Today, more than 500,000 Afghan children- including undocumented Afghans and those who have newly arrived in Iran are benefitting from Iran’s inclusive education policies, one of the most progressive in the world.

Despite the sanctions and economic pressures, Iran continues its comprehensive policy of providing services to refugees, and this is appreciable, UNHCR’s Officer in Charge, Inna Gladkova, said in November 2022.

The best solution and the most stable support system for refugees is that have access to schools and education just like Iranian nationals, she stated, IRNA reported.

Iran has taken effective and continuous measures to include all refugees, and the UNHCR also declares its readiness to fulfill its obligations, she noted.

In the provision of educational services, there are different aspects, she said, adding, school construction, equipping schools, providing teachers and human resources, and providing quality educational services are the main and important work done by the Ministry of Education.

There are many needs in the field of education, but in the last 10 years, the High Commissioner for Refugees has built only 95 schools in Iran, but the need is definitely more than this, she also said.

In June 2022, Maha Kashour, head of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Mashhad, said Iran’s efforts and activities in the last 40 years have been commendable to refugees, and in the past year, after the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, has reached its peak.

Iran has so far been able to provide decent services to refugees in the fields of health, livelihood, and vocational training in cooperation with UNHCR, she noted.

The Ministry of Interior has announced to the Ministry of Education a list of 200,000 Afghan children who have the conditions to study in Iranian schools.

In May, Robin Nandy, the representative of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Iran, said the country’s comprehensive program for the protection of refugee children is encouraging.

Making investments in programs and services to better care for and support children affected by migration and asylum will reduce costs in the future, he added.

Emphasizing the important role of non-governmental organizations in supporting refugee and immigrant children and teenagers, Nandy expressed hope that holding educational workshops will lead to the promotion of children's rights and justice for children.

Over 670,000 students of Afghan nationals are studying in Iran, and the cost of educating these students is more than $352 million, IRNA reported.

However, international organizations have paid less than 3.9 percent of the cost of education for Afghan students in Iran in the last two years.

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei issued a decree in May 2015 that allows all foreign nationals, even those who have no identification and are living in Iran illegally, to attend schools in the country.   

Relying on moral and Islamic principles, the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has created equal conditions in benefiting from educational opportunities for Afghan students.

MG